Bose CD upgrade DONE! WOW!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 161
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From: Grayslake IL.
Bose CD upgrade DONE! WOW!
I wanted a CD player in my 85 but wanted the stock look. I bought a unit from a 94 Camaro off Ebay for $150 and a 12 to 21 pin adapter from Replacementradios.com for $30. Pulled out the old unit, plugged in the new and.........nothin'. Ok, well there's this extra wire hangin' but it doesn't seem to plug in anywhere. So I plug it onto one of the unused sockets on the adapter and walla, beautiful sound. Everything works. Put everthing back together, feelin' real good about myself. 
The next day I go out to fire up the Vette for some fun and tunes and......nothin'. NO JUICE....DEAD. 
Turns out the amps are remaining powered up. After two weeks of head scratchin and questions asked on this forum and others (with no answers by the way) I dive into the dash again.
Here's the solution for anyone interested: On an 85 (and probably many others) the radio has a dedicated wire that powers the amp relay. That wire is pink. (It's the one wire that didn't seem to plug in anywhere) That wire has to be spliced into the antenna trigger wire, also pink. Everything you read on the web will say something about a blue wire from the adapter splicing into the antenna wire. NOT TRUE. The wires are both pink. On the old radio the amp relay wire sits all by itself and it's pink. Anyway....long story longer.....once I spliced the amp relay to the antenna wire the amps are powered only when the radio is on, the battery stays charged and I have great sound, CD capability, stock looks all for $180. And, yes, it was really fun.
The next day I go out to fire up the Vette for some fun and tunes and......nothin'. NO JUICE....DEAD. Turns out the amps are remaining powered up. After two weeks of head scratchin and questions asked on this forum and others (with no answers by the way) I dive into the dash again.Here's the solution for anyone interested: On an 85 (and probably many others) the radio has a dedicated wire that powers the amp relay. That wire is pink. (It's the one wire that didn't seem to plug in anywhere) That wire has to be spliced into the antenna trigger wire, also pink. Everything you read on the web will say something about a blue wire from the adapter splicing into the antenna wire. NOT TRUE. The wires are both pink. On the old radio the amp relay wire sits all by itself and it's pink. Anyway....long story longer.....once I spliced the amp relay to the antenna wire the amps are powered only when the radio is on, the battery stays charged and I have great sound, CD capability, stock looks all for $180. And, yes, it was really fun.
Last edited by jerryL98; May 24, 2005 at 09:33 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Glad you got it fixed!!!
Interestingly enough, the blue wire is correct in reference to aftermarket... not GM, tho...
Check my C4 Audio FAQ, there is a link to the wiring descriptions for these cars.
Interestingly enough, the blue wire is correct in reference to aftermarket... not GM, tho...
Check my C4 Audio FAQ, there is a link to the wiring descriptions for these cars.
